NAB Cup: Is It Time to Say Good Bye?

Every year the AFL brings in a new rule for the NAB Cup and every year most clubs don't seem to really pay that much attention to the NAB Cup. This season, the AFL welcomes Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast into the NAB Cup. In what will feature a brand new format, AFL's version of "Twenty20" 3 games in the one evening, over a round robin tournament.

The AFL will proclaim themselves innovative, however they are not, in fact as a junior footballer I played in the same round robin style tournament at Brighton. Am also proud to say my team won that tournament. The then Tasmanian State Football League in 1999 had the same style pre-season competition, the Southern Cats, who would later go into recess won the Coca Cola Knockout Cup.

The AFL introduces many new rules to these tournaments, granted that may make it innovative, but really, it doesn't make the games anymore exciting. The game is as exciting as it will ever get, but every year, the AFL are screwing with the game, and they are removing things that make the game unique.

It's not the fans that are losing interest, the clubs are, the clubs aren't interested in risking their players in the pre-season comp, some want to trial their youngsters in games, so how about this, how about a Youth Pre-Season Cup, with players that aren't over a certain age, and they can play off.

But anyway, the topic of this is, is the NAB Cup past it's used by date? Are we flogging a dead horse, and should try a year without the NAB Cup and allow teams to play what the round ball game calls "Friendlies" against other teams, in other leagues?

The league has been ripping off the round ball game for years now, so why not something like this? Extend the season without making it October, and just have the NAB Cup eliminated completely. It's time, we know it's time, the AFL has even considered it.

Why not do it now? You have the AFL trying to make the game more exciting for the fans, but are the fans the ones that are tired of the NAB Cup? Some of the grounds would suggest not. The AFL should see the main people that haven't had the desire to care about the cup, have been the clubs.

Some of us fan,s myself included, aren't interested in who wins the NAB Cup, but the NAB Cup does mean that clubs, like mine plays some of the new boys, and that is my interest. Not some ridiculous half game, not countless stupid rules that aren't needed.

Domestic Cricket changed it's format to try and capitalise on the hype, and fanfare of the Twenty20, and that's really worked out hasn't it? I've not seen any changes in attendance to non-Big Bash games. The fans haven't flocked to the games, and suddenly said “Oh my god, these new changes are awesome!”

Want to get fans to the NAB Cup? Drop the prices of tickets, assist people in getting to the games, I've heard a fair few fans saying they would go to games more if there were decent transport to their areas. So if you could work with a community, get a figure of who would be wanting to go to what games, and shuttle them from an area of that community.

It may not work, but it's a thought for what could see some attendances rise not only during the pre-season but actual season as well. But my opinion after this mini-tirade? Remove the NAB Cup completely. It's run it's course, make the season longer, keep the finals and Grand Final in September.

New clubs are in the league as of next year, longer season, no NAB Cup, no silly rules during the pre-season, clubs allowed to play practice matches against whoever they want, and we can remove this farcical event from our calendars.